


Up to No Good

by aspermoth



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Comedy, Fluff, Fluff and Humor, Gen, Inter-House Friendships, Inter-House Unity, Weasleys' Wizard Wheezes
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-01-09
Updated: 2016-01-09
Packaged: 2018-05-12 21:27:03
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 809
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5681416
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/aspermoth/pseuds/aspermoth
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>There's a rumour going around about the Fred Weasley Memorial Swamp and two first years go to check it out.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Up to No Good

"Hey! Look!"

Sadira tried not to roll her eyes. It was still their first term at Hogwarts, and while the general opinion of Muggleborns amongst Slytherins had improved significantly, she still found it irritating when Beth insisted they stop and gawk at something that was nothing unusual for anyone brought up with magic.

"What now?" she asked as good-naturedly as she could muster.

"Isn't that the Fred Weasley Memorial Swamp?"

Sadira looked down the corridor where Beth was pointing. There certainly was a small patch of roped-off swamp half way down, but that had been there for years now. And Beth was a Gryffindor: shouldn't she know more about Weasleys than a Slytherin?

"Probably. I don't know. Come _on_ , we're late for the Quidditch."

It was a House Game. It was Slytherin versus Gryffindor. It was going to be _awesome_. But Beth folded her arms and didn't move.

"Oh come on, Sadira. You must've heard about it!"

"About what? That it smells?"

"No, that if you throw some money in and say "I solemnly swear I am up to no good", you get a Weasley's Wizard Wheeze! Like magic!"

"... because it _is_ magic."

"Well yeah, but don't you wanna try it?"

Sadira sighed. That was Beth, alright: always willing to believe anything was possible, like the existence of Nargles, or that eating Gillyweed can help with your exam results, or that third floor corridors can contain enchanted swamps that throw Weasley Wizard Wheezes at you. Still, this sounded more plausible than a lot of the things Beth's Housemates had apparently told her as a joke.

"Alright. But make it quick. We're _late_."

The two of them walked up to the pool of filthy water surrounded by Hogwarts stone. A small gold plaque on the wall announced that it was, indeed, the Fred Weasley Memorial Swamp, "dedicated by his twin brother George". It smelled like rot and old mud and Sadira wrinkled her nose in disgust.

"Merlin's beard, it smells awful!"

"I know, right?" Beth said, grinning. "And made by magic! It's so cool. Wanna try it?"

"Not really. I'd rather keep my money. But if you're going to, could you make it quick? _Please_?"

Beth rolled up the sleeves of her robes and began digging through her pockets. She and Sadira would have been an odd pairing in the old days: the blonde, blue-eyed Muggleborn Gryffindor with her pockets full of dung bombs and bits of old parchment beside the dark-haired, dark-eyed Pureblood Slytherin who never had a hair out of place. But things were different now, and they only got a few odd looks from their housemates. Nothing more.

Eventually, after finding several broken quills, an untouched Acid Pop, several old "To Do" lists and her wand, Beth managed to excavate a slightly tarnished Sickle. Sadira watched with rapidly dwindling patience as her friend approached the edge of the swamp, leaning slightly over the ropes so that her hand was hovering over the water.

"I, uh, I solemnly swear I am up to no good?"

Her fingers opened. The coin dropped. It hit the water and sank, leaving nothing but ripples in its wake. Sadira smiled sadly.

"Sorry, Beth. You can't believe everything you hear about–"

A loud whistling noise pierced the corridor as a small object came flying up out of the water, arched high in the air, curved down, and hit Sadira square in the face before landing on the stone floor.

" _Ow_!"

A deep masculine voice bubbled from the depths of the water.

"MISCHIEF MANAGED."

Beth leapt backwards with a squeak of surprise, tripped over the edge of her robes and topped to the floor next to whatever it was that had appeared from the swamp. Sadira rubbed the end of her nose, scowling.

"Ow! Son of a Murtlap, that _hurt_! What even is it?"

"It's a Canary Cream!"

"No way!"

Sadira pulled Beth to her feet and peered at the brightly wrapped confection in her hands. Yup. That was a Weasley Wizard Wheeze alright, and it was definitely a Canary Cream. She looked up at Beth's face and her friend's eyes were shining bright.

"See? I told you so! Isn't this cool?"

Sadira's face broke out into a broad smile.

"Yeah. It is. Now come on, or we're gonna miss the match!"

The two girls ran off down the corridor, their footsteps echoing off the stone and into the waters of the swamp, through a magic link to the basement of a Diagon Alley shop where an enchanted glove hovered over a pile of goodies, ready to throw one up at the sound of "I solemnly swear I am up to no good" and cry out in George's voice "MISCHIEF MANAGED".

George had organised it himself. A little something to spread some chaos up in Hogwarts in his twin's memory.

Fred would've loved it.


End file.
